Instagram Now Has More Mobile Visitors Than Twitter

Mark Zuckerberg left many analysts scratching their heads when he acquired Instagram for $1 billion; it turns out he may have made a good investment. Data collection firm comScore announced on Thursday that Instagram is now receiving more mobile traffic than social network and Facebook competitor Twitter. The study also found that Instagram mobile users stay on the site longer.

According to comScore, in the month of August, 7.3 million daily active users (DAUs) visited Instagram. In comparison, 6.868 million DAUs visited Twitter.

The study also found that Instagram users spend 257 minutes looking at photos and using the site’s other features. Twitter users, on the other hand, spent just 169.9 minutes viewing tweets, tweeting, and talking to their followers among other tasks.

Twitter did have more unique US smartphone-based visitors in August with 29 million unique visitors compared to Instagram’s 22 million.

comScore specifically examined iOS, Android, and Blackberry OS devices because they provide both native application and mobile Web browser access to Twitter. Based on those numbers, more than 110 million smartphones were examined.

What the study shows is that Instagram, while featuring a smaller number of users, has a more loyal fan base on mobile devices who engage with the Instagram platform on a more regular basis.

Facebook is not commenting on the stats at this time, but here is a graph that plainly showcases how Instagram and Twitter stack up to one another:

What makes the numbers all the more impressive is the fact that Instagram has only been around for just over 2 years yet has managed to create brand loyalty while taking on a massively successful micro-blogging platform.

The mobile loyalty of Instagram shouldn’t come as a surprise; unlike Twitter, the program was built around mobile use and has focused very little on the standard web space.